File:Silene_dioica_Crozon_060416w.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Silene
Sign in to saveAlso known as silenes, catchfly, catchflies, campion, campions
Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion and catchfly. Many Silene species are widely distributed, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
OverviewAI-generated
Silene is a genus of plants within the family Caryophyllaceae. It belongs to the order Caryophyllales, class Magnoliopsida, and phylum Tracheophyta. The genus is classified under the subfamily Sileneae and is commonly known as catchfly or campions. Its fruit type is a capsule, and the name is derived from Silenus.
Specimens of Silene have been recorded in Mexico, the United States, Italy, Afghanistan, and France. These records are held by institutions including GH, INECOL, UNM, MEL, and CIIDIR-IPN. The taxon has an accepted status in botanical databases.
Synthesized by Vinony from 31 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, Plants of the World, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
campions
Genus
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCaryophyllales
- FamilyCaryophyllaceae
via · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 5,681
- With media
- 3,235
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Collections
- GH, INECOL, UNM, MEL, CIIDIR-IPN, CAS
- Recorded in
- Mexico, United States, Italy, Afghanistan, France, China, Romania, Bulgaria
Research
1,159 papers- Silene latifolia: the classical model to study heteromorphic sex chromosomes.ReviewCytogenetic and genome research · 2010Kejnovsky E, Vyskot BDOI: 10.1159/000314285
- Silene, a versatile model system: from sex and genome evolution to ecology and speciation.ReviewThe New phytologist · 2026Karrenberg S, Bačovský V, Berardi AE et al.DOI: 10.1111/nph.71153
- Silene as a model system in ecology and evolution.ReviewHeredity · 2009Bernasconi G, Antonovics J, Biere A et al.DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2009.34
- Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly for the Angiosperm Silene conica.Genome biology and evolution · 2023Fields PD, Weber MM, Waneka G et al.DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad192
- Anaphylaxis due to Ingestion of Silene vulgaris.Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology · 2022Haroun-Díaz E, Torres Rojas I, Blanca-López N et al.DOI: 10.18176/jiaci.0715
- Chemical genetics in Silene latifolia elucidate regulatory pathways involved in gynoecium development.Journal of experimental botany · 2022Bačovský V, Čegan R, Tihlaříková E et al.DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab538
- Biogeographic origins of southern African Silene (Caryophyllaceae).Molecular phylogenetics and evolution · 2021Moiloa NA, Mesbah M, Nylinder S et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107199
- Rapid and dynamic evolution of a giant Y chromosome in Silene latifolia.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Akagi T, Fujita N, Shirasawa K et al.DOI: 10.1126/science.adk9074
via PubMed
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
9 sectionsContents
- Scientific history
- Taxonomy
- Sexual systems
- Etymology
- Species
- Ecology
- Uses
- Fossil record
- References
Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion and catchfly. Many Silene species are widely distributed, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
==Scientific history==
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Silene” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.